Inking device



R. O. MARKES Nov. 3, 1959 INKING DEVICE Filed April 19, 1957 Qunawgmf;

ATTORNEYS United States Patent() INKmG DEVICE Robert Orland Markes, Detroit, Mich. Application Api-il 19, 1957, serial No. v653,958

4 claims. (ci. 11s-26s) A11 object of this inventionis toV form an inking device of such inexpensive construction thatit may be used as a single use device, or in the alternative, may be relled with ink and used over and over again.

An additional object of this invention is to provide an inking device in the form of a reservoir molded of plastic or the like with an integral feed tube formed as part of the reservoir for supporting and carrying a wick extended into the reservoir.

A further object of this invention is to form the feed tube with air conducting channels so that, whereas the reservoir itself is tightly sealed with a cap, air may enter the reservoir through the feed tube regardless of the position or the condition of the wick which almost completely iills the hollow center of the feed tube.

vIt is also an object of this invention to provide a cap for the reservoir which normally seals the reservoir, but which may be broken open at its center for refilling the reservoir with ink and then closed with a stopper.

(These and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of which v the attached drawings form a part:

With reference to the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional elevational View of the reservoir and feed tube, but with the cap not in cross-section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end View of the feed tube taken in the direction of arrows 2 2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but shows a modiiication.

Fig. 4 shows the inking device in an angular position relative to the horizontal such as it would normally be in when in actual use.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional enlargement of the cap.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of the cap, but shows the cap punctured.

With reference to the drawings, the inking device herein is formed of a reservoir 10 in the form of an elongated tube with a closed bottom 11 and an open top 12. A feed tube 13 is formed integral with the reservoir 10 and is hollow with the central bore communicating with the interior of the reservoir.

It is contemplated to form the reservoir and feed tube integrally in a single molding operation using a suitable plastic material for this purpose.

The open top of the reservoir is closed by means of a cap 14 which is forced into the top and, if necessary, cemented to the reservoir so as to form a complete seal.

Normally, the open end of the feed tube' 13 is closed by means of a cap 15 to prevent ink from spilling out of the device when the reservoir is shipped and stored before actual use. When the device is mounted for use with a typewriter or the like type of instrument, the cap 15 is removed and thrown away.

`In order to ink a ribbon, a felt wick 16 is provided which extends through the feed tube 13 and into the reservoir so that it is dipped into the ink contained within the reservoir. Thus, the capillary action of the wick carries the ink through the feed tube to the free end of the wick which is placed in such a position that it rubs against j the ribbon to be inked and thus carries ink to such ribbon.

-ink drawn off.

With reference to Fig. 2, the vent is provided by means of a series of channels 21 cut into the inside wall 2G of the'hollow center of the feed tube. A number of these channels are cut or molded into the wall and these channels extend the full length of the feed tube, from the free end to the end which communicates with the interior of the reservoir. Thus, the wick 16 is securely held within the open feed tube by means of the channels and at the same time air passageways are provided around the wick. While the wick is illustrated as being square in crosssection, in use, it may be either round or square and since it becomes twisted and sometimes swells in use, it may fill the entire center opening at various points thereby leaving only the open channels 211 for carrying atmos- -pheric air into the interior of the reservoir.

' to the horizontal, such as that shown in Fig. 4, in its actual use position on a typewriter or similar instrument. Thus, no matter what position the reservoir is placed in, there is always at least one channel open for the passage of air through the feed tube to thereby communicate the interior of the reservoir with the outside atmosphere.

rIt is contemplated to form this device so inexpensively that the device may be thrown away after a single use. However, in many cases the user wishes to keep the device and use it over again. Thus, to permit reuse, the cap 14 is provided with a central bore 25 extending from the top of the cap into the interior of the reservoir. The central bore is blocked oif by means of a thin, transverse ilashing 26 which is formed integral with the plastic material forming the cap and which completely blocks off the bore, thereby sealing the top of the reservoir.

When it is desired to reuse the reservoir, a sharp pencil 29 (see Fig. 5) or any other sharp instrument is pushed against the flashing 26 to puncture the flashing, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Then, ink may be poured through the bore 2S and into the reservoir to ll the reservoir again. At this point, the bore 25 is sealed by means of a conventional stopper `30 made of rubber or cork or the like.

This invention may be further developed within the scope of the following attached claims. Accordingly, it is desired that the foregoing description be read as being merely illustrative of an operative embodiment of this invention and not in a strictly limiting sense.

1I now claim:

l. An inking device for use in inking ribbons comprising an elongated tube-like reservoir having a closed bottom and an open top closed by a suitable cap, and an elongated, centrally bored thin walled feed tube extending outwardly of and integrally connected to the reservoir nearA the top of the reservoir, with its central bore com- Patented Nov. 3, 1959,

municating with the interior of the reservoir, and a wick inserted in the reservoir and passed through the bore to extend outwardly of the feed tube; a plurality of grooves formed in the inside wall of the bore of the feed tube, the grooves being substantially equally spaced apart from one another around the entire periphery of the inside bore wall and extending the full length of the feed tube from one end to the other thereof and communicating with the inside of the reservoir.

2.. A construction as defined in claim 1 and said Wick being substantially square in cross-section and with each of its four corners being fitted into one of the grooves, and with the remaining grooves, located between the grooves within which the wick corners are inserted, being free of the wick for carrying air into the reservoir.

3. A construction as defined in claim l, and said cap being formed with a lower plug portion snugly tted into the open end of the reservoir tube and inserted in said open end a considerable distance, and with an upper cap portion extending above the end of the reservoir tube`a considerable distance, with the cap being sealed to the reservoir tube, and with the cap being centrally bored from end to end and the cap bore being sealed by a thin, breakable ilashing formed transverse of the bore, said flashing being located a considerable distance beneath the upper end of the cap, whereby the flashing may be broken for refilling the reservoir tube and a stopper may be inserted in the cap bore to reseal the cap.

4. lIn an inking device for use in inking ribbons and formed of an elongated tube-like reservoir having a closed bottom and an open top closed by a cap and a centrally bored feed tube connected with and extending from a side wall of the reservoir, and a wick inserted into the reservoir and through the central bore of the feed tube and extended out through the free end of the feed tube, the improvement comprising a cap closing the top of the reservoir tube and sealed thereto, said cap being provided with a lower portion snugly fitted within and extending into the open top of the reservoir tube a considerable distance, said cap being centrally bored from end to end thereof, the bore being of a wide diameter relative to the width of the cap, and the bore being sealed by a thin, breakable flashing formed integral with the cap and positioned transversely of the cap bore and located a considerable distance beneath the upper end of the cap bore, whereby the cap bore may be unsealed by puncturing the flashing with a sharp instrument and the reservoir may be refilled with ink through the cap bore and then the cap bore may be resealed with a stopper inserted into 'the cap bore.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,588,548 

